


Too Late

by ununquadius



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Guilt, Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-11-07 18:43:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17965988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ununquadius/pseuds/ununquadius
Summary: The coffin is open. They agreed on that. People would want to see him one last time, and the thought of burying him so soon makes them anxious. Draco looks beautiful even in death. [... ]“Hi, Draco,” she whispers. “I’m so sorry."





	Too Late

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what's wrong with me but it seems that I can't stop hurting the Malfoys lately. Anyways, hope you like my little fic ❤️
> 
> A big thank you to Phoenix4Dragon for being a wonderful beta ❤️

They approach quietly, tightening their grip on each other’s hand. They feel the eyes of the crowd on them, the whispers, the pity. But they can’t take their eyes off what awaits them at the end of the room. 

The coffin is open. They agreed on that. People would want to see him one last time, and the thought of burying him so soon makes them anxious. Draco looks beautiful even in death. They dressed him in fine dark robes that highlight his pale skin. His hair is a bit of a mess, in the way he wore it lately. He looks peaceful, as if he is sleeping. 

They stop.

The smell of flowers almost makes Narcissa sneeze. 

“Hi, Draco,” she whispers. “I’m so sorry. We should have known. We should have been more aware, but we were blind and didn’t realise.”

She looks at her husband, who stares without seeing what is in front of him. They haven’t slept in the last days, just holding each other, as if their tears could bring their son back. 

“We thought we were doing what was best for you, but didn’t see how we destroyed you,” she kept saying, because if she doesn’t say it now, she won’t have another chance to do it. “I thought you were going to be fine, that if I took you away from Potter, if I gave you all I thought you needed, you were going to be happy. But I didn’t know, I didn’t understand. 

I thought that I was right. I thought that men shouldn’t love men romantically. I thought you were going to be happier with a woman, being everything your father and I were and our parents before us. We didn’t understand that love is love no matter who. We didn’t understand that a man and a woman, it doesn't matter, can love another man or a woman; love is the only thing that should matter. We wanted you to be happy and instead we made you miserable.”

She stops because the tears don’t allow her to continue saying all she needs to say. Lucius gives her a one-armed hug and kisses her in the temple. Two tears escape his eyes too. 

“We should have known. We should have seen the signs. What kind of mother doesn’t know when her child is suffering? I’m so sorry, Draco. I didn’t pay enough attention. I saw how you abandoned your old hobbies, how you laid in bed all day, and a part of me was glad you were staying at home. I saw that you ate less and less everyday and thought nothing of it. You told me you had trouble falling asleep and I gave you a potion. I saw the marks and believed the cat story. I should have known how to read the signs. 

This wasn’t a suicide. We dug a deep hole, threw you in there and then we were surprised at finding you dead at the bottom. This wasn’t a suicide; it was a murder, and we’re the killers.”

The last word lingers in the air for a while. She’s scared of her own words and terrified of what she and her husband did. They had everything in the world and destroyed it. They’re the ones deserving the coffin. She glances one last time at her son, grasps Lucius’ hand and turns around. There’s nothing in this room left for them. 

At the door, they find Potter. He too has red eyes and desperation painted on his face that Narcissa knows all too well. She stops, and Lucius with her. 

“I’m sorry,” she says, because she and Lucius aren’t the only ones that lost a loved one. She knows that now. Too late.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! ❤️


End file.
